South Korea and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to the “complete denuclearization” of North Korea, vowing to work together to coordinate future policies on the issue, according to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This statement was made during bilateral talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15.
The meeting marked the first high-level in-person talks between the two allies since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The two countries also agreed to discuss tariff policies to find mutually beneficial solutions.
During the 40-minute bilateral meeting, Cho and Rubio discussed a wide range of issues, including the U.S.-South Korea alliance, North Korea’s nuclear program, and economic cooperation. Rubio reportedly assured that Washington would “closely cooperate with South Korea” on North Korea-related issues. “The meeting helped ease fears that South Korea might be sidelined in Washington’s foreign policy priorities,” said a source familiar with the matter.
On the Trump administration’s tariff policies, Cho urged for a solution that would benefit both countries. Rubio responded that he would relay the concerns to the relevant departments. However, the U.S. State Department’s press release on the bilateral meeting did not mention tariff discussions. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official noted, “The U.S. is still in the early stages of reviewing tariffs, and we expect related talks to continue in the future.”
Cho and Rubio also identified shipbuilding, nuclear power, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and advanced technologies as key strategic sectors for bilateral cooperation and pledged to strengthen partnerships in these sectors. The issue of defense cost-sharing for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea was reportedly not discussed.
Rubio expressed the U.S.‘s commitment to maintaining defense and economic ties that reflect the importance of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of State. Cho reportedly requested U.S. cooperation in arranging a phone call between Trump and South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok.
At a trilateral meeting between Rubio, Cho, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, the three countries voiced support for Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in international organizations. Amid speculation that Taiwan could seek observer status in the United Nations, the World Health Assembly, and the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.S. State Department recently updated its fact sheet on Taiwan, removing a statement that it does not support Taiwan’s independence, according to Reuters.
Additionally, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States released a joint statement calling on North Korea to “abandon all its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.”
